Court releases 28 children back to adoptive parents

Court releases 28 children back to adoptive parents

BY OPALYN MOK

APRIL 08, 2013

BUKIT MERTAJAM, April 8 — The Bukit Mertajam magistrate’s court today ordered 28 children, who are subjects of an alleged child trafficking ring, to be released into the care of their adoptive parents.

The children, between the ages of five months and eight years, were brought to the courthouse in a bus where the court issued the interim custody to the adoptive parents.

Immediately after the court order, the adoptive parents and the children adjourned to the Bukit Mertajam police station to register their details with the police.

The children were placed under protective custody in a home in Johor after they were taken from their adoptive parents’ homes when police busted a child trafficking syndicate in January and February.

The court had ordered for the children to be placed under protective custody pending the cases being heard in court.

Magistrate Arif Mohamad Shariff, in making the order, set several conditions for the release of the children to their adoptive parents.

The adoptive parents are required to report to the Welfare Department in their respective district every month for the next one year and they have to keep the department informed of any change in address.

He also ordered that the official adoption process for the children to be completed in two years and that welfare officers are given free access to check on the children in the next two years.

Welfare officers will also be appointed to oversee the welfare of the children in the next two years.

“Failure to observe any of these conditions will result in this order to be cancelled,” he said.

All the adoptive parents were present to hear the verdict and many appeared relieved that they will finally get to take their children home after a separation of more than two months.